Ninth Blessed

by Samantha Gold

A Ken-fic. There's a little more Takari in it than I originally intended, but it's not the main theme. Ken reflects on an afternoon spent with members of the Digidestined. Lots of 'what-ifs'. My first complete Digimon fic. Please R&R!

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. I wouldn't have to write this if I did, now would I? And I certainly wouldn't have ended 02 like they did. *sniffles*

Author's Note: This is a Ken-fic. There's more Takari in it than I had originally attended, but it's not the main theme, and even Daikari, Kenkari, etc. fans should be able to stand it.

Ninth Blessed
By Samantha Gold

I didn't understand what they were talking about at first. When they finally explained, I didn't understand what difference it made. So the dark digivice wasn't my first. How did that change anything? I still don't see how it changes anything.

The subject came up when Daisuke-kun, Takeru-kun, Hikari-chan and I were studying in my room for a unit test the following day. Since the dark spore stopped growing, my IQ had dropped, unfortunately. I could still keep up at my old school if I was to work myself very hard, but then I would have no free time to spend with my friends. Friendship, I've learned, is very precious. Besides, I enjoy attending school with my friends. But I digress.

After about an hour of studying that day, Dai-kun announced that he had to go home. Personally, I think that he just couldn't stand studying anymore! That would be typical of him…

His leaving left me alone with Hikari-chan and Takeru-kun, and after another hour of studying, we were all ready for a break. We had a snack and then headed back to my bedroom. We'd just sat back down again when Hikari-chan asked, seemingly out of nowhere: "Ken-kun, do you think I could see your…crest?"

The questioned confused me a little bit, especially the hesitant voice in which she asked, but I nodded and went to retrieve it. She took it gently when I passed it to her, then stared at it oddly.

I looked at Takeru-kun questioningly, hoping for some sort of hint to explain her fascination with my crest. He smiled at me.

"You'll have to excuse Hikari-chan," he said cheerfully. "It's just that we all used to have crests before, too, and I guess we just miss them sometimes."

"ALL of you had crests?" I asked, wondering what had happened to the crests.

"All of us original digidestined did," he agreed.

"Your crest is very beautiful, Ken-kun," Hikari-chan broke in after a beat had passed. "My crest, I remember, it was the prettiest pink…I haven't ever seen anything in that exact colour; I haven't seen anything in the exact colours of any of the crests." She smiled, passing the crest back. "Take care of yours."

I nodded once. "What happened to your crests?"

"Apoclamon destroyed them all," Takeru-kun said simply, then added at my look, "It was the final battle for the eight of us together and he obliterated them so that we'd be helpless." He paused again, and this time I waited patiently for him to continue, curious. "It didn't work, we kicked his butt, the end." He grinned.

Hikari-chan smacked him playfully. "It was a little less anti-climatic than that," she said to me. "But even though we beat him, we didn't get our crests back. We kept our digivices though!" she added, pulling her pink and white one out. "I like the new model better."

"They are much sleeker," I agreed. My mouth curved upwards into a small half-smile as I remembered the day Osamu-oniichan and I had watched it fly out of the computer. He had thought it was his, but it was really mine. It had always been mine. I pulled my dark digivice out of my pocket, murmuring, "I was so excited when I realized that original digivice was mine…"

"You had an old digivice too, Ken-kun?" Takeru-kun asked, his face scrunched slightly – either in concern or in thought, I couldn't tell.

"Yes, why?"

"Um, no reason," Hikari-chan said cheerfully.

Takeru-kun nodded his agreement. "Oh, by the way," he attempted casually, "do you remember when you got your digivice?"

I was on to him, sort of, but I played along anyway, and nodded. "I was in Osamu-oniichan's room. I was eight-years old and we were playing and it just flew out of the computer." I shrugged, as though it hadn't been one of the most important events in my life.

"You were eight?" she asked quietly.

"Yes."

"Hey, um, you weren't supposed to go to a summer camp by any chance that day?"

I frowned. "I was, actually. I was looking forward to it, but onii-chan decided that he didn't want to go at the last minute, and I wasn't allowed to go without him. I wouldn't even have remembered it if it hadn't been the day I got my digivice though…Why?"

Takeru-kun didn't answer, but looked to Hikari-chan. "Gennai never said a thing about it! He said, "eight tags!' 'Eight crests!' he said. And, of course, 'Eight of you! Eight children!' Why didn't he tell us?! I'll bet so much could've been prevented!"

I narrowed my eyes at Takeru-kun, surprised more than anything, at his outburst.

"It's Gennai, 'Keru-kun," Hikari-chan deadpanned. "He's old. He can't remember a thing! …Or count. You of all people should know."

"I guess you're right," he muttered smiling sheepishly, a sweat drop forming on the side of his head.

Naturally, by this time I was more than a little confused. So I asked them what in the world they were raving on about, and added that Gennai didn't seem that bad when I met him.

"He's changed," Hikari-chan laughed.

Takeru-kun nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he used to be an old man who could never keep ANYTHING straight!"

"You really should've met him before."

Then their eyes caught and they started laughing again. I groaned. This could take a while.

"What were you ranting about before, Takeru-kun?" I interrupted.

He and Hikari-chan exchanged looks, then putting on secretive smiles, they turned back and chirped: "Nothing!"

I sighed. For some reason, those two had become increasingly teasing as of late…I think that they must be spending too much time with their oniichan's. This would definitely take a while. Unless…

Inspiration struck and I did with it, leaning over and whispering in Takaishi's ear: "I'd recommend telling me if you don't want me to lean over and kiss Hikari-chan on you."

"Why should I care what you do?" he whispered back, but a faint nervous tremor was detectable in his voice, if only barely.

"Because you like Hikari-chan…really like her…" I deadpanned.

His eyes widened and he reddened. "How did you know?" he whispered, while Hikari-chan watched, eyebrows raised and eyes curious.

I smiled evilly, knowing that I had the advantage in this situation. So I have a flair for getting what I want. Sue me. "Give me a little credit here, "'Keru-kun"," I teased, using Hikari-chan's nickname for him. "I don't need to kiss her though…I could just tell her about – "

"Okay, okay," he grumbled, cutting me off as he attempted to stare at me angrily. Of course, the fashion in which his face had darkened another two shades of scarlet, before draining of all colour to a sheet-white, was a tip-off that he was more embarrassed at having been discovered than anything else.

I smiled and sat up straight again, awaiting my explanation.

Takeru-kun coughed. "Um, Hikari-chan, I think we've teased him for long enough, don't you?"

If possible, Hikari-chan's eyebrows raised even higher. "I think that Ken-kun has teased you…what about?" He blanched and she turned to me, eyes turning inquisitive.

"Share with me and I'll think about sharing with you," I replied, smiling.

"That's not the deal!" Takeru-kun cried as his eyes widened.

After teasing each other for a little while, they finally explained their theory.

"You were supposed to be one of us, " Takeru-kun began, though I admit he sounded a touch nervous. I wouldn't ever follow through on my teasing threats, and though I'm sure that he knew that, he probably feared that I might, on some level. "One of the original digidestined, I mean."

"There are many digidestined all over the world," I pointed out.

"There weren't as many back then," Hikari-chan told me softly. "And none of them have crests." She shook her head. "Crests…I can't believe we didn't figure it out when he first got the crest of kindness."

"We didn't really understand though," he reasoned. "We only found out that only certain digidestined get crests a little while ago…"

"You're right," she agreed.

"The crests are what allow Tailmon to digivolve to Angewomon and Patamon to digivolve to Magnaangemon, right?"

They nodded. "The kid really is a genius!" Takeru-kun joked.

"Watch it, Takaishi."

"I was the eighth child," Hikari-chan said, ignoring our banter. "Gennai said that there were only eight; he said that I was the last to be found. He must have been wrong though."

"Yeah, I think you were supposed to be a digidestined like we were…one of the first."

"Not the first, Takeru-kun."

"Sorry," he said to her with a lopsided grin. "But we'll always be the first to me."

She laughed. "The first of our group, at any rate."

"Hikari-chan, Takeru-kun, is there a point to all of this?"

"Well, you're the ninth child, Ken-kun."

"Ninth blessed…"

"Blessed?" I began, but they intercepted me.

"Yes, before you decide to hold another pity party, blessed."

"I wonder what would have happened if Myotismon had found Ken-kun instead of me as the eighth child," Hikari-chan mused.

"He couldn't have. He had your crest, Hika-chan. And besides, we found you first," Takeru-kun said.

"Actually, Tailmon did."

Takeru-kun shrugged indifferently.

She sighed. "I was just wondering what things would've been like if Ken-kun and I had been in different positions. Switched."

"The Digimon Empress!" Takeru-kun laughed, though I saw him cast a careful look at me out of the corner of his eye.

I laughed with him at the thought of Hikari-chan in such a position. It had been three years since I'd become the Digimon Kaiser and then been returned to myself. I could handle the guilt I carried better now. It was still there; I feared that it would never go away, but I could manage it and it no longer overwhelmed me.

A thought occurred to me: "If I have a crest, does that mean that Stingmon can digivolve to ultimate on his own?"

"I think so," Hikari-chan answered with a smile.

"But we're not fighting now, so it doesn't change anything."

"But we might have to again."

I shrugged and the subject was dropped for the return to our studying. After all, whether or not I had a crest was not going to affect my Chemistry mark. We studied for another two hours, and when we felt that we sufficiently understood, Takeru-kun and Hikari-chan left together.

I returned to my room, where I sit now, quietly. So they think that I am the ninth child with the blessing of a digidestiny. I am not sure what to make of that, but I don't understand how it changes anything. Perhaps if onii-chan and I had gone to camp that day, I would know the truth. If we'd gone, perhaps things would have turned out differently. I might not have been susceptible to the darkness. I might not have been the Digimon Kaiser. But I also wouldn't be the same person that I am today.

I couldn't see it back then, but I can see now, how everything – including the darkness, including the evil…including being the Digimon Kaiser – helped to shape my character. I have been strengthened by all of these adverse times and I'm not certain that I would trade them, if I had the chance.

Perhaps I really am the Ninth Blessed.

But it doesn't change a thing.

-End-

As you might have guessed, this story's main purpose, more or less, was expressing a theory that I came up with a while ago and wondered about. I had all of these 'what-if' ideas, but since I couldn't write all of them, I thought it would be fun to have the digidestined wonder about them for me :)

Please review! This is my first complete digimon fic and I'd really appreciate any constructive criticisms or any comments at all! Thank you! *s*